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Attorney Admissions

The attorney admissions process is governed by DUCivR 83-1.1. Attorneys who wish to practice in the U.S. District Court or U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah, must be active members in good standing of the Bar of the District Court or be approved by the Court to appear pro hac vice on a case-by-case basis.

Admission to the Bar of this Court

As set forth in DUCivR 83-1.1(b)(1), an attorney must be an active member in good standing of the Utah State Bar to be eligible to become a member of the Federal Bar.

All Applicants:

To apply for admission to the Bar of the Federal Court, resident and non-resident applicants must seek a sponsoring attorney who is an active member in good standing of this Court's Bar to move for the applicant's admission. A written motion and proposed order will need to be emailed or mailed* to the clerk's office prior to scheduling a time for the attorney to be sworn in. It is not necessary for the sponsor to appear. The sponsoring attorney may accompany the applicant to the attorney admission proceeding and make an oral motion to the Court; however, the oath will need to be administered by a District Judge and arrangements will need to be made in advance with the Attorney Admissions Clerk. Applicants will also need to complete a registration card, sign the attorney roll book and pay a $181 registration fee at the time of admission. Once the motion is reviewed and the order is signed by the judge, the Clerk will contact the attorney to schedule a time to be sworn in.
Please call the Admissions Clerk at (801)524-6616 or the Intake Office at (801)524-6100 with any additional questions.

Non-resident Attorneys:

Admission proceedings may be scheduled before a District Judge of this Court or by requesting approval to have the attorney oath administered by a Federal District Judge or Appellate Court Judge in another federal district or circuit. To have the oath administered outside of this District, approval in the form of an order signed by the Chief Judge is needed in advance of taking the oath. A sponsoring attorney, who is an active member in good standing of this Court's Bar, should prepare a written motion to this Court requesting the applicant's admission including reasons for seeking non-resident admission. Once approval is obtained, the applicant will receive an email with instructions and the necessary forms that will need to be completed and returned to the Court. After the applicant has taken the oath of admission, a notarized affidavit must be submitted to the Court indicating the date the applicant was sworn in and the name of the Judge that administered the oath of admission.

Upon receipt of the required forms, a certificate will be issued and mailed to the address on file. The newly admitted attorney should visit the Clerk's Office the next time they are in the area to sign the Court's attorney roll book.

Admission Pro Hac Vice

Instructions and Forms

Attorneys who are not members of this Court's Bar may practice before this Court only after having been admitted pro hac vice pursuant to DUCivR 83-1.1 (d). Non-resident attorneys who wish to be admitted must associate local counsel to sponsor their temporary admission. Local counsel shall move the admission of the pro hac counsel, and substitute in court if required. Local Counsel must file the following with the court:

Attached to the motion as an exhibit is the completed application for admission pro hac vice completed by the attorney seeking admission. The application also must be accompanied by payment of the prescribed admission fee, self certification of good standing in the bar of the highest court of another state or the District of Columbia and the applicant's agreement to read and comply with the Utah Rules of Professional conduct and the Utah Standards of Professionalism and Civility.

Local counsel shall encourage pro hac vice attorneys to submit their electronic filing registration form as an exhibit to the application, noting that, if the pro hac vice attorney is a registered electronic filer in any other federal court, he or she will be given a Utah login and password upon the entry of the order granting the application.

The forms and fees must be paid for each case to which the attorney seeks admission.

Non-resident attorneys authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 517 to appear before this Court on behalf of the United States or its agencies must file a notice of appearance, which contains a statement acknowledging the attorney's obligation and agreement to abide by the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct and Civility as outlined in DUCivR 83-1.1(g) of this rule. This notice of appearance satisfies the rules for admission without further order from the Court unless an opposing party objects to the notice of appearance within 14 days of its filing. If an objection is filed, the attorney who filed the notice of appearance shall not file a response to the objection unless ordered to do so by this Court.

If the attorney has not previously appeared or E-Filed in the District of Utah, please complete an ECF Registration form and submit it, along with a draft of your Notice of Appearance, to the registration clerk at ut_support@utd.uscourts.gov. Use the new login and password emailed to you by the Clerk's Office to file the Notice of Appearance.

Law Student Admissions

Law students may enter an appearance in any civil or misdemeanor case before the Court if they meet the requirements set forth in DUCivR 83-1.6. Law students appearing before the Court must be supervised by an attorney who is an active member of the Court's Bar; have the client's written permission to appear on the client's behalf; and be certified in writing by an official of their law school as having good character and the necessary qualifications to provide the legal representation permitted by DUCivR 83-1.6. A Supervision Attorney Consent form, a Client Consent form, and a Law School Certification form must be submitted to the Court before the law student may enter an appearance.